From the archive, 14 January 1977: Scottish 'snare' scares Tories

A young Scot looking down onto the capital Edinburgh from Arthur's Seat.
Photograph: Murdo Macleod

After three hours of procedural wrangling, a move to axe Scotland from the devolution Bill was the first issue of the measure which was debated in the Commons yesterday.

It was launched by hard line Tory anti-devolutionist Mr Iain Sproat (Aberdeen S) who said the reason he found the Bill so "detestable" was that its prime motive was fear of the Scottish Nationalists. The hours of procedural argument had been an indication of "snares, dangers and absurdities."

The Bill was an act of political appeasement and cowardice, said Mr Sproat. The measure would mean more government. There would be six tiers of government in Scotland, which would become the most over-governed country in the world.

Mr Sproat immediately clashed with pro-devolution Labour MP Mr John Mackintosh (Berwick and E Lothian), who told him that he had been boring people to death for years about this subject. Mr Sproat said that the greatest reason for leaving out Scotland was that an assembly would set up the momentum for the fragmentation of the UK. "That is why the SNP want it. Everything that went right for Scotland would be attributed to the Scottish Assembly. Everything that went wrong would be because – they would say – they were shackled to Westminster."

Mr Tam Dalyell (Lab. West Lothian) feared that the mutterings, interventions and sedentary interruptions which had taken place during Mr Sproat's speech were a foretaste of the bickering there would be in a Scottish Assembly. The annual financial settlement would lead to a great deal of pressure. The heavyweights of the English local authorities would be determined that the Scots would get no more per head than the English, and it was absolutely certain that the Scottish Opposition would not be satisfied.

Mr Malcolm Rifkind (C. Pentlands) said he had not the slightest doubt that the overwhelming majority of Scottish people wishes to remain British. The Conservative Party was not hostile to the principle of devolution but were trying to ensure that a system was found which would work and strengthen the United Kingdom.

Former Liberal leader Mr Jo Grimond (L. Orkney and Shetland) repeated his preference for a federal system saying: "unless there are major changes in the Bill I shall vote against the third reading. A federal system is the only way in which you get a clear definition of the Assembly's powers."

Historic articles from the Guardian archive, compiled by the Guardian research and information department (follow us on Twitter @guardianlibrary). For further coverage from the past, take a look at the Guardian & Observer digital archive, which contains every issue of both newspapers from their debut to 2000 - 1.2m items, fully searchable and viewable online